At A Loss For Words (Review)

So - I ordered it on Friday and it turned up on Monday. For people that live in large cities, that might not seem remarkable, for for small town Ontario that is inexplicably fast. Seriously.

Anyway - it came, I read. Today. All of it.

At A Loss For Words is such an easy and enjoyable read. It's like reading a journal - not the author's, not the protagonist's - your own. So much of it resonates.

She describes the art of procrastinating when one is unable to write. I do that. Exactly like that - well, except that I'm on Gather and Schoemperlen is not. But otherwise, it fit. I know that stuff.

She describes her conversations with her friends. Me. My friends. I know those conversations.

The vast majority of sentences in the novel begin with "I said...", "I didn't say..." or "You said..." (referring to the guy who has - well - not exactly dumped her; that would involve him actually doing something - and that is just never going to happen - but ended their relationship through passive aggressive behaviour and out-and-out neglect). It should, if everything I've been taught about writing, not work. It is so repetetitive that it should become boring. But it doesn't. Partly, I think, that was a function of the interspersed ~stuff~: writing prompts, lists, a definition of passive-aggressive, horoscopes and so on. But mostly, it is just because the writing is so direct and entertaining.

From the review I read, and the podcast I listened to, I got the impression that there would be angst, and whining, even. I hate whining - it is obnoxious. This character - and this novel - is far too funny, and real, to ever be accused of being obnoxious. I thoroughly enjoyed At A Loss For Words as a reader, a writer, a woman, and especially, as a Canadian. The weather, the places, the President's Choice brand groceries: it all contributes to a strong sense of "I know that".

Need a book to take to the cottage, the beach, or to read on the bridge while the kids stand in line-ups at Wonderland? This is a great choice.